Wireless communication devices communicate with wireless networks using wireless protocols, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), and the like. Transmissions over wireless networks can result in lost or corrupted data. One technique to recover lost or corrupted data is Forward Error Correction (FEC). FEC works by encoding and transmitting supplemental data in addition to the original file. FEC allows the receiver to reconstruct missing or corrupted data using the supplemental data.
Another technique to recover lost or corrupted data is retransmission. Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) automatically retransmits packets when the receiver detects lost or corrupted data. Hybrid ARQ (HARQ) adds FEC capability to ARQ. Thus, the receiver may be able to recover lost or corrupted data using the FEC information before retransmission is invoked.
The demand for wireless communications is growing with respect to coverage and capacity. Newer data applications, such as video streaming and music downloads, have become popular features for wireless communication devices. The transmission of multimedia content consumes more network bandwidth compared to voice calls and text messages. The number of users also affects network capacity. The increase in the transmission of multimedia content, in addition to the increase in the number of users may result in network congestion. Network congestion may lead to dropped packets and retransmission attempts, further congesting the network.